Hall Defeats Glastonbury to Advance to CCC Semifinals - We-Ha

Updated: Hall earns its 14th consecutive win Saturday morning, moving on to face RHAM in the CCC Tournament semifinals.

By Marlon Pitter. Photos by Sue Gellerman

Sophomore Olivia Bonee scored 23 points and made five 3-pointers to lead the Hall High School girls’ basketball team to a 47-33 win over Glastonbury in the CCC Tournament quarterfinals at home in West Hartford on Saturday morning.

“Defensively, they were amazing – help defense, moving their feet, pressuring the ball,” Hall head coach Brittany Huggins said. “It was great.”

The Warriors found themselves in a situation similar to their opening round matchup – leading by five at halftime, 20-15. Like Thursday night against Middletown, Bonee stepped up offensively to give Hall a comfortable lead in the third quarter.

“[Bonee] was being really aggressive in the second half, and it kind of reminded me of the Middletown game,” Huggins said. “In the second half, she got really, really aggressive knocking down threes, but what’s nice is to see when other kids are not having a great game … we have another kid who can step up. I think that’s what makes a really good team, and I’m proud of them.”

Bonee scored 10 of her 23 points in the third quarter, as the Warriors outscored the Tomahawks 14-3 in the period to take a 34-18 advantage into the fourth.

“If my first shot goes in, I’m kinda feeling it and I’ll just keep shooting and shooting,” Bonee said. “If I miss the next few, I’ll just go by, drive, and hopefully that goes in.”

Hall led by as many as 19 points in the fourth quarter after Amber Raisner – who scored 11 points and went 7-of-8 from the charity stripe – made a pair of free throws to go ahead 41-22 with 5:18 remaining.

Glastonbury scored first with 6:20 remaining in the first quarter, but Raisner answered six seconds later with a layup of her own to tie the game at 2-2. She made the ensuing free throw to complete a three-point play, and Hall never trailed for the rest of the game, closing the first quarter on a 12-2 run.

Glastonbury threatened in the second quarter, closing the gap to five, but they came no closer to Hall in the second half.

“They’re getting better,” said Huggins. “That really is what I think about when I watch them play like this. They’re becoming a more complete team, and I’m really, really proud of them.”

As a team, the Warriors made 14 of their 16 free throws (88 percent), while the Tomahawks converted on five of seven attempts (71 percent).

With the win, Hall moves on to the CCC Tournament semifinals to face the winner of the RHAM on Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. at Glastonbury High School. RHAM defeated Southington 69-51 on Saturday afternoon to advance to the next round.

Along with stiff competition, the spacious gym at Glastonbury will be an adjustment for the team as well, Huggins says.

“Glastonbury is a tough place to play in general. Even as a player, for me, it was tough,” she said. “It’s such a big gym. There’s an indoor track around, so sometimes it feels like you’re shooting into a big ocean – a little basket in a big space. But the girls just have to be ready to go. No matter where we are, just gotta be ready to go, and I think we will be.”

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